NEW YORK — Bobby Cox and Buck Showalter were given little chance of success after payroll purges pushed out key players. Proving the predictions wrong, their teams won, anyway, and so did the managers.

Cox was voted NL Manager of the Year on Wednesday for leading the Atlanta Braves to an unexpected 13th straight division title, and Showalter won the AL honor for turning the last-place Rangers into a contender after Texas traded MVP Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees.

“Some of the fans probably thought we weren’t going to make it this year, but we did,” Cox said following his third manager of the year award. “I think I’m as thrilled this year as I ever have been with one single team.”

Coming off four straight last-place finishes in the AL West, Texas cut its payroll in half and wasn’t predicted to do well. But the Rangers rebounded and remained in contention until the final week of the season.

“I would have picked us the same place everybody did, too,” said Showalter, who won for the second time.

Cox received 22 first-place votes and 10 seconds for 140 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Tony La Russa of St. Louis, a four-time Manager of the Year, was second with 62 points after leading the Cardinals to a major league-best 105-57 record. Jim Tracy of Los Angeles was third with 52.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — After a pennant race and postseason dotted with reversed rulings, baseball will get another chance to see who else wants to give instant replay a look.

The topic is on the agenda for today at the GM meetings. And there seems to be growing support among teams to join the NFL, NBA and NHL in using instant replay on calls such as fair or foul and homer or not, but definitely not balls and strikes.

Even if replay comes up for a formal vote — it did not go very far last year when GMs debated it — there’s no assurance it would show up during games anytime soon.

“I don’t see it,” Bob Watson, vice president of on-field operations, said Wednesday. “And I don’t think the commissioner is in favor of it, either.”

Stottlemyre to stay

NEW YORK — Mel Stottlemyre will return as pitching coach of the New York Yankees next year, then retire after the 2005 season.

Stottlemyre agreed to return for his 10th season under manager Joe Torre, and the Yankees also announced former catcher Joe Girardi will replace Willie Randolph as bench coach. Randolph was hired last week as manager of the New York Mets.